Process of forming hollow bracing units



Oct. 11, 1932. H. WOODHEAD ET AL v PROCESS OF FORMING HOLLOW- BBACING UNITS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 28, 1926 0d. 11, 1932. H \NOQDHEAD ET AL 1,882,352

PROCESS OF FORMING HOLLOW BRACING UNITS Filed July 28, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Oct. 11, 1932 PATENT OFFICE HARRY WOOIDHEAD AND CLINTON W. STOVER, OI CLEVELAND, OHIO PROCESS OF FOIRMIN G HOLLOW BIB-AGING UNITS Application filed July 28, 1926. Serial No. 125,396.

This invention relates to a process for making a combined tube and bracket, and is concerned particularl with taking a drawn steel tube of any desired length, and so working the If metal on one or both ends that we may produce a compressed forged steel bracket or brackets integral-with the tube, the bracket by reason of having the characteristics of for ed steelbeing stronger than the tube 1t- 10: self? The object of the invention is to provide a process for upsetting and flanging a tube, which process will require but a small number "of operations and which will'result in ll forming an unusually strong one piece bracket without waste as compared to forging brackets from slugs.

It is essential that we cause a longitudinal flow of the metal of the tube, first to provide 1 thickness of metal and second to increase the strength of' the metal by such upsetting or for in operations. Further refinements inclu e t e formation of depressions in the upset end of the tube during the first operation so that during the second operation the flanges are more easily formed and are stronger. The. process includes the making of machine pads or slight bosses on the for ed portion -or' portions, these being provi ed in our process by the use of corresponding cavities in the forming die members.

In carrying out our process we may support the tube simultaneously with the longitudinal compression on the end thereof just below the portion of the metal which is caused to flow, in order that, at the point of juncture betweenthe tube and bracket, the tube. itself may remain undistorted and will hold its position even though a very great longitudinal compressionis applied in up setting the end of the tube. Our process preferably includes two major steps, namely, first placing the heated tube in a female die having cavities of different diameters joined by tapering surfaces and forcing downwardly uponthe end of the tube by a male die to cause the heated metal to flow and fill the cavity formed between the male and female dies; and second to support the thus. upset tube in another female die and further compress the upset end, thereby causing the formation of flanges integral and joined to the tube by a thickened or webbed reinforce portion, also of forged metal.

In the drawings Fig. 1 is across sectional 165' I I view through a cooperating set of dies with the end of a heated tube therein ready to be upset; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation of one form of male die; Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view similarto Fig. 1 showing the relative position of the dies at the end of the first operation; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are fragmentary perspective views of upset tubes for forming flanges of different character; Fig. 7 is a sectional perspective view of the male finishing die; Fig. 8 shows the male and female finishing dies just beginning to form the flanges; Fig. 9 is a fragmentary cross sectional view through the same dies at the I completion of the flange forming operation; 70 Fig. 10 is a fragmentary perspective view of a female finishing die formed to provide bracing webs beneath theflanges; Fig. 11 is a fragmentary cross sectional view illustrating the formation of such bracing webs; Fig. 12 shows the finished forgings as pro duced by the dies shown in Fig. 8; Fig. 13 is a similar view showing different flanges andv webs; Fig. 14 is a sectional perspective view through the end of a flanged tube show- 50 ing machine pads; Fig. 15 showsa completely formed bracket such as might be formed by the blank shown in Fig. 6; Fig. 16 is a fragmentary perspective view of the completed article as applied to an automobile 85 front frame. p Referring in detail to the drawings, 1 in Fig. 1 represents asuitable first operation male die and 2 a cooperating female die. The male die may consist of an enlarged upper end portion 3 providing a shoulder 4, the reduced lower end 5 of-this die conforming substantiall tothe inside diameter of the tube indicated at T. The female die, as shown, has an upper enlargedrecess 7 connected by tapering surfaces 8 with a reduced recess 9 substantially fitting the exterior of the tube and laterally supporting it. The particular male die herein shown is provided with irregular shoulder portions 00 consisting of a pair of projections 10 for forming flange stock for flanges such as shown in Fig. 10. Incidentally, if a flange such as shown in Fig. 14 is desired no such enlargements 10 would be used.

1 It will be noted in Fig. 1 that the reduced portion 5 of the male die extends slightly beyond the tapering surface 8 of the female die before the projections 10 come into contact with the upper end of the tube. One result of thus supporting the tube interiorly and exteriorly, at a point below the tapered surface, is that when the compression starts, the upset metal of the tube is-wedged between such tapering surface and -the male die, thus eifectuall preventing downward movement of the 1%)6 and preventing the tube from buckling inwardly under the severe compression blow given the upper end of the tube. The action of upsetting the end of the tube is of course quite rapid in order that the flow of metal will be uniform and in order to preserve all of the heat. Nevertheless the projections 10 do not have a tendency to split the end of the tube, but merely shove the metal of'the tube downwardly beneath them,

changing the character of the metal from that of a strai ht grained tube into a compressed grained tube, the grains lying in irregular undulations and greatly compressed together, as'in all other parts of the upset portion. Incidentally the metal of the upset ortion is strongest at the bottoms of such epressions by reason of being more highly. compressed, t is being very desirable in order to overcome any tendency of the finished bracket to split apart between the flanges.

Fig. 4 shows the end of an upset tube when made by the dies formed as ust described, the upset rtion beingindicated at t and the tapere reinforce at T1. The reason for this particular shape is that when the flanges are made for the front portion of an automobile frame it is desirable to have one narrow flange for receiving a single bolt and a wider fl for receiving more than one. Any num v r or shape of flanfesmay be so started b the male upsetting ie. For example, as s own in Fig. 5, the depressions t2 are sub- .stantially diametrically opposite, wherefore the flange stock portions t1 between the deressions are practically alike; this blank ing used informing such a bracket as shown in Figs. 13 and 14. If it is desired to form a single annular bracket, such as shown in Fig. 15, the blankmay be made substan-' tially as shown in Fig. 6.

For the second and final operation, we

' may place the blank in a female die; such for exam 1e as indicated at 20 in Fig. 8,.preferably wlth the upperedge ofthe tapering portion T1, substantiall even with. .a depd surface 21 of this die. In order to more precisely determine the shape of the flanges the sides 22 of the female die con tiguous with the surface 21 may conform substantially to the desired flange shape. Fig. 7' shows a suitable malefinishing ie which may comprisea body portion 25, conforming substantially to the flange shape of determining recess in the fema e die, and which may have a projection 26 adapted to interiorly support the'upset tube durmg the metal into recesses such as shown at 28 in the female die block 20a in Fig. 11. Any number, shape or size of such flanges ma be formed as required. F ig; 11 shows a we T4 being formed into a recess 28, the grain of the metal in such case being found to brid e from the tapered reinforce portion T1 t0 the flange, thus securing additional strength.

In Fig. 14 we show an additional refinement consisting of machine nected by a ridge T6 extendm alon the peripher of the flanged brac et. ese padsan ridges may be formed by providing corresponding depressions at the bottom 3f the recess such as 27 in the male finishing Referring again to Figs. 6 and 15 which show respectivel blank and finished articles formed thereby, 1t will'gbe noted that the walls of the upset portion are made heavy as by upsettin a longer portion of tube. This is desira le since such an annular flange will take more material than the forms shown in either Figs. 12 or. 13. If desired this an-' pads T5 con- 7 articles, such as automobile cross frame braces, which may be all one piece and in which the metal in the flanges, the connectmg relnforcing taper and the webs is of substantially different character than that of the tube, the latter consisting of'drawn .or possibly seam weldedtubin with'the. running substantially parafi ti portion which consists of forged "material 1s therefor more rigid. and stronger than if made by merely turning out flanges of the same sidewall. While we have described in detail the characteristics of the various dies, it is to be understood that we mayutilize dies made up. of any number of sections e1 while ebracket and in an suitable form which we may find practicab e, and we do not .wish to be otherwise limited to unessential details.

We claim:

1. The process of forming a hollow flanged unit from tubing comprising heating the end of a section of such tubing, supporting the tubing, upsetting the heated end to thicken and compress it, simultaneousl depressing a portion of the heated stock in an axial direction beyond the adjacent ortions to form flange stock, and thereafter orming laterally extending flanges from such stock.

2. The process of forming a flanged tube, comprising, heatin the'end of a suitable section of metal tu e stock, sup orting and forcibly compressing the end 0 the heated tube to thicken it, separating the thickened end into flange stock by endwise compression at certain portions of the end of the tube to a greater extent lengthwise of the tube than at other portions, flange stock into further endwise compression on said flange stock, to finish form the flanges.

In testimony whereof, we hereunto aflix our signatures.

CLINTON W. STOVER. HARRY WOODHEAD.

and then spreading the predetermined s aces by 

